Today, the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy announced the 2019-20 student recipients of the Bocock and Hitz Public Service Fellowship. Established in 2012 by a generous gift from Mary Buford and Fred Hitz, the Bocock and Hitz Public Service Fellowship Fund supports outstanding students in Batten’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree programs who are committed to effecting positive change through careers in public service. 

"With the announcement of this year’s fellowship class, we are again reminded of the generosity of the Hitz family and their commitment to Batten’s mission of cultivating the next generation of public sector leaders,” said Jeff Chidester, Executive Director of External Affairs at the Batten School. "Thanks to the Bocock-Hitz Public Service Fellowship, we can provide much-needed support to students who wish to fulfill the call to public service."

The 2019-20 Bocock and Hitz Public Service Fellowship recipients are:

 Postgrad MPP Class of 2021: 

•    Landon Webber of Richmond, Virginia, graduated with a BA in political science from Rhodes College. Currently, he is working as a manager for the Economic Competitiveness team for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) based in Richmond.

•    Amanda Rosensky of Greensboro, North Carolina, graduated with a BA in political science and international affairs from Wake Forest University. This summer, she will conclude her year of service with AmeriCorps VISTA in Winston-Salem.

•    Erin Sutherland of Washington, D.C. graduated with a BA in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. Currently, she is hiking the Camino de Santiago, beginning in Portugal and ending in Spain. The Camino is a medieval route, also known as the Way of St. James that Christian pilgrims trekked during the Middle Ages.

Postgrad MPP Class of 2020:

•    Merwan Benamor of Al Wardanin, Tunisia graduated with a BA in politics and French from the University of Virginia. Currently, he is interning at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) in Turin, Italy. He speaks five languages, including English, French, Arabic, Spanish, and Italian, the latter of which he is putting to use this summer.

•    Anna Haritos of Auburn Hills, Michigan, graduated with a BA in Modern Greek and biopsychology cognition & neuroscience from the University of Michigan. She is the incoming editor-in-chief of the Virginia Policy Review. Currently, she is interning at the United Nations this summer, working in the Department of Global Communications (UNOCHA).

•    Natalie Moore of Houston, Texas, graduated with a BA in marketing management from the University of Memphis. Currently, she interning at LaFave & Associates, a political consulting and fundraising firm based in Washington, D.C.

Accelerated MPP Class of 2020:

•    Patrick Grant of Alexandria, Virginia, graduated with a BA in the economics of health care from the University of Virginia. A former Echols scholar, he is currently interning at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, where he is assisting faculty in background research, course development, and facilitation.

•    Abigail Holland of Richmond, Virginia, graduated with a BA in American studies, with a focus on race and ethnicity from the University of Virginia. Currently, she is interning at the Department of Education, working on civil rights data collection.

•    Molly Magoffin of Purcellville, Virginia, graduated with a BA in German Studies from the University of Virginia. Currently, she is conducting research on topics related to foreign affairs for the federal government.

Recipients of the Bocock and Hitz Public Service Fellowship are chosen based on financial need, along with academic performance and a demonstrated commitment to leadership and service for the public good.